After making a comeback in the match at Hagley Oval on Sunday, thanks to an incredible 14th century from Angelo Matthews, New Zealand is looking to win the first test against Sri Lanka. Along with Dinesh Chandimal (42) and Dhananjaya de Silva (47 not out), Matthews hit an amazing 115 runs to increase Sri Lanka’s advantage from 65 runs overnight to a total of 284 before they were bowled for 302.
Daryl Mitchell held the first New Zealand innings together by a century and a tenacious fight from the tail. Yet, the top order must provide a solid platform to grab the lead in the two-match series.
With Tom Latham (11*) and Kane Williamson (7*) on the crease at stumps, New Zealand was 28 for 1 at the time. The Black Caps need to win to prevent Sri Lanka from reaching the World Test Championship (WTC) final in June.
The chase for the Kiwis has become more difficult due to Devon Conway’s dismissal for five runs after chipping the ball straight back to Kasun Rajitha. Nonetheless, Latham and Williamson were able to get through a few anxious moments and conclude the day successfully.
With 11 boundaries throughout his 235-ball innings and a desire to form partnerships rather than chase every ball, Matthews displayed great discipline.
After Matthews edged a Matt Henry ball behind, the Sri Lankan tail swiftly crumbled, with Blair Tickner (4-100) having the best stats in the bowling assault. Sadly, Neil Wagner missed day three due to a back ailment, and his absence was noticed.
Even with three stitches from the day before in the webbing between his thumb and index finger on his bowling hand, Henry persisted. Finally, Lahiru Kumara was run out as he deftly used his left hand to tip a Williamson throw into the stumps.
After recuperating from a groin injury, pitcher Doug Bracewell is slated to join the team for the second test.
Sri Lanka and Australia will qualify for the WTC final if Sri Lanka defeats New Zealand in this series and Australia prevents India from winning the fourth test in Ahmedabad.
